


Dirty Paws

by WinterAndLittleBrunettes



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: AU, And they love each other so much, Established Relationship, Fluff, Getting a Dog, Laith, M/M, and she is such a little shit, but they love her so much, good shit, guys I had such a blast writing this and it's one of the fluffiest things ive ever written, klance, like seriously their doggo is named Mipha
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-20
Updated: 2018-04-20
Packaged: 2019-04-25 12:44:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14378931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinterAndLittleBrunettes/pseuds/WinterAndLittleBrunettes
Summary: Lance and Keith have been together for some time, and now that they’re living together, Lance can’t help but feel as though something is missing. Nothing bad, since their relationship is amazing, and he is so incredibly happy, but…He feels like the jigsaw puzzle that is their relationship could be bigger, fuller than it is now. So, Lance throws out the idea of getting a dog together, and Keith gives it the proper consideration. Not long after, they head to a local adoption agency and stumble across an energetic golden retriever puppy who immediately attaches herself to them. And she turns out to be the perfect addition to their little family.





	Dirty Paws

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone!
> 
> So, I was blessed with being accepted as a back-up writer for the Klance Reverse Big Bang 2018! And, I was given the absolute cutest idea to write about an established Klance relationship, where they decided to adopt a dog! And I can honestly say I enjoyed writing this.
> 
> Writing about pets, dogs in particular is not my strong suit, since I have never in my life owned a dog [ _I am a cat person_ ], but I think this still turned out alright! Hope you guys enjoy!

# Dirty Paws

 

Something was missing.

 

_Something_ was, even if Lance couldn’t put his finger on what _it_ was. He couldn’t decide on what it was for the life of him. It wasn’t something to do with the apartment; there were already too many pictures on the wall, he’d moved the couch around, and, much to Keith’s annoyance, even moved the desk from their bedroom into the kitchen. He was starting to run out of things to move until he realized something was _missing_.

 

He couldn’t help but feel like there was a certain emptiness to their apartment. He felt it when Keith was gone, obviously, but he even felt that tiny pang of longing even when they were together. But he didn’t want to mention anything to Keith until he figured out what it was. No sense worrying his boyfriend without cause.

 

When he was younger, there were always animals around. His older sister Veronica had a bird ironically named Spot, his nephew Michael had a little hamster, and most importantly, his father had a dog named Bones.

 

Lance loved Bones, even though his name turned into a joke as he got older and fatter. Lance and his father cried for days when he died, but Lance moved into residence at his university a few days after Bones died. Obviously no pets were allowed in residence, and school kept him busy enough not to notice too much.

 

But once Lance met Keith, things just fell into place. Dating felt as easy as breathing, and moving in together just felt like the next step. But now that they had been living together for a few months, Lance couldn’t help but wonder if this was their next step.

 

He decided that he wanted a dog, a pet to share with the love of his life.

 

Getting a pet with Keith was something that Lance wanted.

 

He swiveled around from the desk to look back into their kitchen. It was small, but considering Lance was the only one who could actually _cook_ , it was the perfect size for him to work. And there were two sinks, so he and Keith could stand side by side and do dishes together. When he was still living at home before starting university, Bones’ bed was located in the kitchen.

 

And Lance couldn’t help but think a dog bed would fit perfectly here, underneath the desk.

 

“Keith, baby?” He called loudly, unsure of where his boyfriend was in their home. “I have a question.”

 

Something dropped to the hardwood in the other room, followed by a frustrated groan. “If it’s about that physics homework you have, you know I can’t help you.” Keith immediately called back. It sounded like it was coming from the bedroom, so he must be in there.

 

“It’s not about physics,” Lance droned, and stood up from the desk. He made sure to push the chair back in so Keith wouldn’t manage to trip himself on it later, and started making his way towards their bedroom. “How do you feel about dogs?” he asked as he neared the doorway.

 

Keith was quiet for a long moment, not speaking even as Lance stopped in the doorway of their bedroom. His back was to him, and he was apparently frozen, struck so by the question. “Uh… I’m not sure, why?” he asked hesitantly.

 

“I was thinking… That maybe we could get one?”

 

Keith didn’t say anything right away, but Lance knew that his boyfriend was probably thinking about every aspect of the question. He was usually the one who did all of the rational thinking for Lance’s crazy ideas (like when he thought they should get a swing for their deck, even though they don’t have enough of a deck for their barbeque, let alone a swing), but Keith obviously saw that this was something important to Lance.

 

“Why the sudden interest?” he questioned, and finally turned to face Lance to read his reaction.

 

“W-well,” Lance began, but floundered a bit. How could he say that their apartment felt empty, or not as complete as it could be with a pet? He didn’t think he could do that. Because he loved Keith, he loved him so much, and was so happy that they were living together. But, he could be even happier if they had a pet to share, a little addition to their family, and he hoped bringing a pet into their lives would make Keith happy too. It wasn’t that living with Keith wasn’t enough, because it _was_ , he loved Keith so much and would be fine if he said no, but he still had to ask.

 

“I know you had a dog growing up.” Keith inserted, saving Lance from embarrassing himself. “And not having animals here is weird for you.” he crossed his arms over his chest, and looked down to the floor with pinched brows. “I… I understand _why_ you want a pet here. But I just need some time.”

 

“Of course!” Lance exclaimed, and jumped forward, throwing himself at Keith. Keith immediately opened his arms for an armful of Lance without even flinching. He was more than used to Lance throwing himself at him by now. “I know that you need time to think about it,” Lance continued, and pressed his nose into Keith’s shoulder. “I just wanted you to consider it.”

 

“I’ll consider it.” Keith echoed softly, and let his hands settle firmly on Lance’s waist. “I’ll definitely consider it.”

 

* * *

 

They didn’t discuss the idea for a while, but Lance found various Venn diagrams around their apartment with the pros and cons of owning a pet, and more specifically, a dog. Lance couldn’t help but chuckle at his boyfriend’s dedication to his query. He was just happy that Keith was taking this seriously.

 

One night, while Lance was making dinner for the two of them, Keith came up behind him and wove his arms around his waist while Lance was stirring some sauce in a saucepan.

 

Lance was just about to question what this was for when Keith interrupted him. “Let’s get a dog,” he announced.

 

A grin nearly split Lance’s face in half as he turned around in Keith’s arms and kissed him soundly.

 

“Are you sure?” he mumbled against Keith’s lips.

 

Keith breathed out a soft chuckle, and leaned back a bit in Lance’s hold. “I put a lot of thought into this, y’know.” He assured with a soft smile. “But, the selling point was how happy you’d be when I said we can get one.”

 

With a dangerous smirk, Lance asked “Just one?”

 

* * *

 

Even though they agreed to get a dog, it took a while to actually find the time to look into getting one. Between work and a bunch of assignments coming up at school, they didn’t have enough time together to search for different pounds or adoption agencies around town.

 

But apparently Keith had done all the work for them. When Lance came home from work one night, the map from their car was laid out on the kitchen table. On it, there were a few different tacks stuck into various places, and a sticky note beside it labelled each colour tack with a pet shop or pound or adoption agency.

 

A smile overtook Lance’s face, and he squealed in delight. If Keith was doing this, he was serious about getting a dog, serious about taking the next step in their relationship, and nothing could make him happier.

 

* * *

 

They picked the first weekend after their exams were done to go around to the locations Keith picked on the map and see if there were any dogs that they liked. They had to move the map from the kitchen table to the wall above their desk, since Lance insisted they try to eat at least one meal a day together at their table. And, with their table already being so small, having a massive map taking up the entire space made that ordeal a lot harder than it needed to be.

 

When that Saturday finally came around, Lance woke up bright and early, practically buzzing with excitement. Normally he’d let Keith sleep in on their day off, since Keith worked a job that kept him away from home until 10 or 11pm practically nightly, but today wasn’t a normal day. Today was the day they were going to get a dog!

 

Lance pounced on Keith when he deemed it time for his boyfriend to be up and out of bed. “Wake up, sleepyhead!” He exclaimed, pressing his hands into the mattress on either side of Keith’s head. “Today’s the day!”

 

“Mmmwha?” Keith slurred, and turned his head a bit to squint up at his boyfriend through his wild bedhead.

 

“We’re looking at dogs today, Keith! **Dogs**!!” He giggled slightly, and whacked the covers covering Keith’s back with his palms for emphasis. “Cmon, we don’t want our future dog to get taken right out from under our noses because _you_ were sleeping in!”

 

“Lance,” Keith groaned, and pulled the blankets up and over his head, “it’s too early for this without coffee.”

 

With a knowing smile, Lance crawled back to his side of the bed and reached for the cup of coffee he put on the side table before attempting to wake his grumpy partner. “Did someone say **coffee**?” He asked coyly.

 

The covers were pushed away from Keith’s head as he sniffed around for the coffee. Suddenly, he sat up and reached out blindly and snatched the coffee from Lance’s waiting hands, somehow not managing to spill a drop. He quickly drowned a couple sips without blowing on it, and Lance couldn’t help but question him in that moment. Who drinks coffee black, and almost as soon as it’s poured at that?

 

Oh yes, Keith, his boyfriend, who has a soul as black as his coffee. Or, so he claims, although Lance knew he could be just as sweet as his coffee was dark.

 

Keith moaned and gazed down into his coffee reverently. “Getting these Arabica beans was the best decision ever, have I told you that I love you lately?” He questioned lowly, not tearing his gaze from the black liquid in the red mug.

 

“Only about a dozen times since your first cup the other morning,” Lance said slyly, and leaned over to peck Keith’s cheek as he took the next sip of coffee. “But I always love hearing you say it.”

 

“You know I love you,” he mumbled against the lip of his mug.

 

Lance snorted and shook his head. “I know you love your coffee, dear.” He argued softly, and shifted to get up.

 

“Mmno, Lance.” Keith finally looked away from the surface of his coffee and reached out to clutch at Lance’s jaw before he could move away. “I’m sorry,” Keith murmured, and leaned forward to press his lips to Lance’s in a lingering chaste kiss. “I’m just tired.”

 

“I know…” Lance agreed softly, and pressed his forehead against Keith’s. “And you know I’d normally let you sleep. But-“

 

“You’re excited, I know.” Keith interrupted, and leaned back just far enough to get another sip from his mug before pressing his forehead to Lance’s again. “I am, too. I sort of forgot what day it was.”

 

“That’s why you have _me_ , to remember everything.”

 

“Everything, huh?” Keith challenged, and narrowed his eyes at him. “If you remember everything, why do I have to remind you to take out the trash? Or to rinse out your mugs before leaving them in the sink? Or—“

 

“Okay okay,” Lance interrupted, and pressed a kiss to the side of Keith’s mouth to stop the onslaught of _totally incorrect_ information. “I know what you’re doing, but what you should do is drink your coffee faster so you can get dressed and we can go!”

 

The only answer Lance got was Keith raising his cup before tipping it back and drowning it in one go. Lance paused and looked back at his boyfriend incredulously, with a fair bit of fear.

 

Keith merely passed the mug back to Lance, before he whipped back the covers and threw his legs over the side. He proceeded to stretch his arms above his head, before he stood up and walked to their dresser to grab a shirt and jeans for the day, before he glanced behind him to where Lance was still frozen at the foot of the bed, holding the coffee cup limply in his palm.

 

“…What?” Keith asked.

 

Lance blinked, and turned his head a bit to look at Keith incredulously. “Did… Did you just drown this dark ass coffee in one go?”

 

“Well, you said you wanted to go!” he exclaimed, and crossed his arms over his chest defensively. “And I drank my morning coffee. So… Want to go get the car started?”

 

With a shake of his head, Lance stood and muttered “sure” on his way out the door.

 

* * *

 

They forgot to grab the map on the way, but since Keith did all the research, he remembered where most of the locations were. The first two places they went to were mostly for rescued animals who needed a certain amount of attention that they weren’t sure they would be up for in their current situation. With both Lance and Keith working part time jobs, and being away from the house for at least a couple hours daily, owning any one of these pets was just not suitable to put the pets through. So, they left those pretty quickly when they realized they’d just be wasting time.

 

The third place they went to specialized in cats, with a multitude of birds and reptiles, but no dogs. So, they also left that establishment quickly.

 

The fourth place they went to looked more promising, with both cats and dogs available for adoption. But, while they walked down the aisles of dogs cooped up in their pens, none really called out to them like Lance was hoping. A few of them were very cute, sure, but none of them really caught their eyes. So, after spending about an hour at that adoption agency, they moved onto the fifth.

 

The fifth building looked newer, with a new pink awning and a shiny doorknob. The welcome sign blinked at them, beckoning them inside to look at the animals. Keith gripped at Lance’s elbow as he reached for the door, and when Lance glanced back at his partner, he was practically vibrating with excitement. It gave Lance a really good feeling about the place, if Keith was getting excited.

 

As soon as they entered, a kind old lady welcomed them from one of the aisles, and asked what they were looking for. When Keith said that they were looking for a dog, the lady smiled and pointed behind her to a separate room. “You’re just in time, then. Our puppies are ready to take home today.”

 

As soon as she said that, Lance practically ran her over rushing to the back of the store, where she said the puppies were.

 

Keith apologized to her, and followed his boyfriend as quickly as was acceptable in a public place. When he got there, he couldn’t help but coo at the adorable little puppies running around the room.

 

There were some Chihuahua puppies rustling in a box off to the side, yipping in delight, and some German Shepherd pups sleeping nearby, oblivious to the world. And in the center of the room, were some Golden Retriever puppies fighting over a ball.

 

The woman stopped beside them, and peered through the glass at the chaos in the other room. “They’re a rambunctious bunch, aren’t they?” She asked with a smile. The name on her nametag read “Debbie”. “They barely even missed their mum’s. They’ll be ready to go to new homes now.”

 

“Do you mind if we step in and play with them?” Lance asked, turning to face the woman with his signature puppy dog eyes. Keith knew _he_ was weak to it.

 

Debbie giggled, and waved them off. “Of course not, dears!” she assured. “How else would you decide which one you want?”

 

Lance squealed in delight, before turning to face Keith with one of the brightest smiles Keith had ever seen on Lance’s face. “C’mon!” Lance exclaimed, and grabbed Keith’s hand to drag him along.

 

As soon as they opened the door, they’d been expecting to have to shut it quickly to stop the hoard of puppies flocking to them. But they barely even lifted an ear to their arrival. Only one little Golden Retriever puppy noticed them. The pup whipped around to face them, and as soon as Keith shut the door behind them, the pup launched itself at Lance.

 

Lance immediately crouched down to pick the pup up, and it immediately started frantically licking all over Lance’s face. His loud laughter rang through the room, and Keith couldn’t help but laugh along to Lance’s joy.

 

“Aww, looks like she fancies you!” Debbie called through the window.

 

“Looks like it,” Keith agreed, and reached out to stroke the dog’s head. “She seems sweet.”

 

“Keith, I love her.” Lance announced, and swung around, cradling the little wiggling bundle in his arms. “She’s too cute, I can’t even.”

 

“She _is_ awfully cute…” Keith murmured, and stepped closer to Lance to rub the little girl’s belly. “But we shouldn’t be too quick.”

 

Lance whined and lifted the little girl up so she was eye level with Keith. “Aww, but babe **look** at her!” he exclaimed, and pushed her closer to Keith’s face.

 

Once she was in proximity, the pup immediately licked Keith’s nose.

 

“Aww, looks like she loves the both of you.” Debbie announced from the doorway, and stepped in. “This little one isn’t usually so affectionate with other people. Seems she’s really taken a liking to you.”

 

“She has, hasn’t she…” Keith murmured, and scritched her ear, lost in thought. He glanced up at Lance to gauge his reaction.

 

Lance was gazing down at the pup with complete adoration. Keith knew at that moment that they couldn’t have any other dog. When Lance glanced up to meet Keith’s gaze, he raised a brow, silently asking if they could keep her.

 

Keith smiled, and nodded, before turning to Debbie and announcing, “We’ll take her.”

 

* * *

 

Payment and paperwork was quick after that, and shortly thereafter, they walked out of the building with their new dog wearing a new collar and leash. She was pretty calm, not pulling on the leash at all, just bounding around and looking at their surroundings with extreme curiosity.

 

Keith held all the paperwork while Lance lifted up their new puppy up and into the car with him. He made sure she didn’t wiggle around too much while Keith clicked the seatbelt into place and shut the passenger door for them.

 

“What should we name her?” Lance asked as soon as Keith hopped up into the driver’s seat. “Debbie left that blank for us, so we could figure it out later.”

 

Keith hummed, and thought for a moment before shaking his head. “Do you have any ideas?” He questioned as he started the car.

 

“Not yet, no.” Lance lifted up the dog closer to his face so he could get a good look at her. She yipped softly, and wiggled in his grip to get closer to his face. “But we could rattle off names to see if anything sticks?”

 

“Hmm…” Keith said distractedly, putting the car into reverse to back out of their parking spot. “What about Waffles?”

 

Lance instantly broke out laughing and put the dog back down onto his lap so he didn’t shake her too much. “ ** _Waffles_**?” he snorted. “Is that the first thing that came to mind?”

 

“I don’t know!” Keith exclaimed, and waved a hand about. “It just sort of came to mind?”

 

“No, pick something else.”

 

“Well, why don’t you try to come up with something?” Keith pouted, and turned back to the road as he put the car in drive.

 

“Well…” Lance paused, and looked down at the dog. She was sitting down, but sitting up straight so she could look out the window as things started moving by. “What about… Beverage?”

 

“You’re seriously suggesting that to me after you turned down Waffle?” Keith deadpanned, not even looking over at Lance.

 

He huffed, and pursed his lips, racking his brain for good name ideas. “Sophie? Genevieve? Uh… Nima?”

 

Keith hummed, pondering the options. “…No?” he said hesitantly, putting on his blinker to turn onto the main road to head home. “Nothing really fits.”

 

“Well…” Lance stroked the top of the pup’s head, smiling slightly when she sighed at the contact. “Golden Retrievers love water—“

 

“We are _not_ naming her ‘Water’, Lance.” Keith interjected.

 

“No no, I wasn’t thinking that.” Lance promised. “But I was thinking… What about ‘Mipha’?”

 

Keith glanced over at him, surprised. “Mipha, like, the Zora from Breath of the Wild?”

 

“Yeah.” Lance looked over at his boyfriend with a smile. He’d turned back to look at the road, but Lance didn’t mind. “You love Breath of the Wild, and the Zora were your favourite tribe. And Golden Retrievers love water, so, it makes sense?”

 

Keith mulled over the idea for a moment, nodding distractedly. “Yeah, that… Does make sense.” He agreed slowly. He glanced down at the little dog sitting calmly in Lance’s lap with consideration. “But if she doesn’t like the name, then what’s the point?”

 

Lance lifted the pup up again so he was eyelevel with her. “What do you think, Mipha?” Lance cooed. “Do you like ‘Mipha’?”

 

She barked at the name, her tongue lolling out of her mouth, almost like a smile. Lance laughed at her reaction, and kissed the top of her nose.

 

“Mipha it is, then.” Keith announced with a smile.

 

“Welcome to our family, Mipha!”

 

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked this, consider checking out my other works here as well! You can find me on [tumblr](winter-and-little-brunettes.tumblr.com) and [twitter](https://twitter.)! Come talk to me!


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